Chapter 1
The lab was silent except for the steady hum of machines—her only companions for the past six months. Glass vials lined the stainless-steel countertops, each filled with glowing liquids of varying opacity. Dr. Evelyn Pierce adjusted her goggles, smudged from hours of meticulous work, and sighed as she wiped them clean with the hem of her lab coat.
She had everything. Recognition. Funding. A goddamn Nobel nomination waiting in the wings.
And yet.
Her fingers tapped impatiently against the desk. The last time someone had touched her—really touched her—was… Christ, she couldn’t even remember. Not since Daniel left, taking her dignity with him when he walked out the door with that barista from across the street.
*Pathetic,* she thought, swirling a vial of synthetic nucleotides between her fingers.
A reflection in the glass caught her eye—her own face, exhausted but still sharp, still beautiful. An idea flickered.
What if she didn’t need anyone else?
What if… she made *herself*?
The vial clinked as she set it down.
Her lips curled.
*Happy birthday to me.*
The lab lights burned bright as she drafted equations across her tablet, fingers flying over the screen. Her DNA was already sequenced—she’d run it years ago, just for fun—but extracting a viable somatic cell sample was trickier.
She rolled up her sleeve, swiped alcohol over the crook of her elbow, and plunged the needle in without hesitation.
The syringe filled dark red.
A laugh bubbled up as she flicked the tube. “Guess we’re doing this.”
The cloning chamber hummed to life, its glass womb glowing faintly blue. She input the parameters: *Female. Identical genetic matrix. No neural dampeners.*
Her thumb hovered over the final command.
*Would it even be* her *in there? Or something… better?*
Evelyn smirked and pressed **ACTIVATE.**
A low hiss echoed through the lab. The cloning chamber hissed with steam as the fluid drained out, leaving behind a slumped female form, curled tightly into a ball.
Evelyn held her breath as the pod opened, revealing her own naked figure.
The clone blinked back the watery fluid, pushing herself up against the glass.
*Almost her spitting image…*
Except.
Evelyn's eyes widened as she ran a critical eye over her clone's form.
*There was something... different.*
Her breath hitched. The clone was... *perfect.* Her figure was exactly the same: slender, curvy, pale, and *beautiful.* All their shared features, just a little younger, a little smoother.
The clone looked at her, her dark eyes mirroring Evelyn's.
Evelyn forced herself to speak. "Can you hear me?"
The clone stared blankly at first, as if trying to form words. Then, eventually, her lips parted. "...Yes."
Her voice was low and breathy, just like Evelyn's had been twenty years ago. It sent a shiver down Evelyn's spine.
Evelyn swallowed hard, pulse thrumming in her throat. She reached out—hesitated—then brushed a wet strand of hair from the clone’s face.
*"Do you... know who I am?"*
A slow, knowing smile curled the clone’s lips.
*"You’re me."*
And just like that, Evelyn’s world tilted.
